The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-People First Party (PFP) alliance yesterday said that President Chen Shui-bian's (
In a news conference with both local and foreign media yesterday, Chen, among various other points set forth with regard to cross-strait interaction, called for the signing of an agreement between the both sides of the Taiwan Strait on the establishment of a framework for peace and stability as well as an exchange of envoys.
"We think that the president only brought up issues but not answers to those issues. We highly doubt whether President Chen Shui-bian can really implement the program he spoke about," said PFP caucus leader Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋), adding that Chen's comments were "empty words."
During the press conference, Chen also proposed setting up a demilitarized zone on both sides of the Strait. The idea was similar to that outlined by KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) last Saturday when he pledged that he would withdraw all military forces from Taiwan's outlying islands in the Kinmen group if he wins the presidential election. Lien also said that he would travel to China to ask Beijing to remove its missiles aimed at Taiwan if he takes office.
The pan-blue alliance criticized Chen's call for a cross-strait demilitarization zone, saying that such an idea was contradictory to one of the two questions Chen announced for his planned referendum, as he plans to ask the people whether they support enhancing the nation's defensive capabilities should China refuse to withdraw the missiles it had targeted at Taiwan.
Meanwhile, with the presidential election approaching, PFP Chairman James Soong (
Referring to the accusation made by the former chairman of the Tuntex Group, Chen Yu-hao (
In three open letters, faxed to select media and opposition lawmakers on Monday, Chen Yu-hao said that Chen Shui-bian had accepted his donations in the run-up to the 2000 presidential election and the Taipei City mayoral race in 1998. Chen Yu-hao is one of the nation's 10 most-wanted fugitives, and was indicted on charges of breach of trust in August 2002
Stressing that Chen Yu-hao's letters were not at all part of a scheme developed by his party, Soong went on and lambasted the Chen administration of being corrupt, branding the Presidential Office "the black-gold epicenter."
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
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